Many elementary school students in the Bellevue area pick up various hobbies. Whether it is sports, art, or competitions, there are many opportunities and activities for kids. For Medina Elementary and Odle Middle School students Kiaan, Arjun, Chris, Kyle, and Kavir, that activity is robotics. Earlier this year, at the Washington FIRST LEGO League (FLL) State Finals, their LEGO robotics team UNBOXED won the Judges Award which selected them for the opportunity to travel to the international FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Invitational in Jeonju, South Korea this summer to represent Washington state. For many of the members, this will be their first time traveling outside the country, making it not only a special milestone for their robotics achievements, but also one as they grow up.

Sakshi Mirchandani, mom of Medina Elementary school students Kiaan and Kavir, observes the project and their team meetings that happen 2-3 times a week at her home. “My sons started robotics two years ago, so going to the international competition this year is something they and the other members are super excited for. Having played with plastic bricks since they were toddlers, this takes their love for Legos to the next level,” Sakshi remarks.

The competitions are graded on a rigorous four-part rubric: Core Values, the Innovation Project, Robot Design, and the Robot Game. However, the focus for the kids is the Innovation Project (IP). For the competition, each team needs to create a robot for the Innovation Project that connects to the real world and solves a current issue. This year, the theme is to build something that can help the Earth and UNBOXED wanted to specifically help archaeologists and museums. A significant percentage of fragile artifacts are damaged during extraction or transport, so UNBOXED decided to search for a solution.

Their IP robot, named Preserver-1, is a four-wheel drive robot controlled by a Switch joy-con designed to extract, scan, and identify materials like metal, jewels, wood, and textiles. When the material first gets extracted, it is pushed into a compartment to be scanned and identified, and the results appear on its screen. The robot has gone through two other prototypes, updating and building off each one to create the final one. “The first prototype was a grabber, and it was really small. It had a 50% fail rate, 20% success rate, and the other 30% was unstable,” said Kavir when asked about the project. Kiaan took the lead on the robot's AI integration, using Teachable Machine and MIT Scratch to connect a Raspberry Pi camera that actively recognizes artifact types. Meanwhile, Kavir brings unmatched energy and passion to the group, flawlessly executing their highly consistent 85-point mission run on the competition mat.

In South Korea, they will be asked to present all of their prototypes and to go through their process of creating the robot along with showcasing its capabilities. In addition to having the support of each member’s parents, the team has also been mentored by Professor Ben Marwick, Professor in Archaeology at the University of Washington; and Carly Ross, a Geologist at the Museum of Rockies in Montana. Both mentors provided valuable feedback. They also presented their design to John Darrow, a Senior Principal Robotics Engineer at Amazon. Darrow guided the team to run digital simulations of their robot and begin the process of manufacturing it for the real world. Taking that advice to heart, the team has now officially filed a patent for their robot featuring six unique claims.

Now, this remarkable five-member squad is preparing to represent the Bellevue area on a global scale. They will face off against the brightest young minds from over 45 different countries. Amidst the high-stakes matches, they will also immerse themselves in vibrant South Korean culture. Beyond engineering, they have become leaders in their community, introducing the world of robotics to younger students and their parents at local elementary schools and other outreach events in the Bellevue area. The team is incredibly grateful to Medina City Mayor, Jessica Rossman, and Bellevue City Councilmember, Jared Nieuwenhuis, for their unwavering support.

Team UNBOXED are already champions for turning childhood toys into world-changing inventions. They represent how even the youngest individuals can go far when they put their minds to something. The entire community and their families couldn't be prouder of their dedication.

Go team UNBOXED! You got this!

To learn more about UNBOXED’s robotics journey, check out their blog: medinafll.org/home